The MLB’s Most Valuable Team Is Not the Dodgers: Angels Sale Puts League Values in Focus

The Los Angeles Dodgers may dominate the field, but they are not Major League Baseball’s most valuable team. That title belongs to the New York Yankees, valued at $12 billion in CNBC’s latest ranking.

The ranking followed news that Angels owner Arte Moreno had agreed to sell the team to Stan Kroenke, owner of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. The Angels’ reported sale valuation of $4 billion places them 12th among MLB’s 30 teams.

The league’s average team value has reached $4.04 billion, 37% higher than it was when the season began in March. The Miami Marlins sit at the bottom of the list with a valuation of $2.2 billion, although their value has risen 57% from $1.4 billion in March.

CNBC said the Angels’ valuation equals 10 times the team’s 2025 revenue. By comparison, MLB approved a $3.9 billion purchase of the San Diego Padres last month. That deal valued the Padres at eight times revenue. The Padres now rank 10th at $4.1 billion.

Bankers examining the Angels transaction said sports teams carry the appeal of collectible assets, with location playing an important role. The Los Angeles Lakers, whose purchase by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger was announced recently, were valued at $12.5 billion. CNBC did not increase its valuation of the Dodgers, keeping it at $8 billion because of a controversy involving owner Mark Walter. Federal prosecutors and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating whether Walter or his company concealed financial relationships while borrowing billions of dollars from an insurance company he controls, potentially committing fraud.